Supporting means for doors



Nov. 7, 1933. K. ToBlN 1,934,285

SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DOORS Filed July 26, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l I VEN Toe- KENNETH J. 7Z 5uv Nov. 7, 1933. K. J. TOBIN SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DOORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 26, 1929 "[NVENTOE- KEN/v5 TH J 755//\/ 1933- K. J. TOBIN SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DOORS Filed July 26, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 KEN/v5 TH J 755W QR TTYE Nov. 7, 1933. I K. J. TOBIN 3 SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DOORS Filed July 26, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lH-S 5a, 5a. I4 10 *f\/ mew TOE- KEN/v5 TH J 755w QQUMM Patented Nov. 7, 1933 S'E'A'E'ES PTENT FECE SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DOORS Kenneth J. Tobin, Chicago, 111., assignor to Camel Company, Chicago, 111.,

a corporation of Illinois Application July 26, 1929.. Serial No. terms 11 Claims.

This invention relates to supporting means for doors and primarily concerns itself with the problem of supporting a door of extraordinary weight upon spherical rollers for elevating and 3 lowering movements with very little effort, sealing the door against the weather in its lowered position and also in its closed position. It is further contemplated to provide such a structure in which the'door can be lowered at any. intermediate position between its full closed and full open position.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a house car door supported according to this invention and showing fragmentary parts of the house car.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken 11 on the line II1I of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure that the d rearwardly position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the rear and right hand end of the door, parts being broken away for the purpose of illustrating the rear end sealingmechanism and lock.

Figure is an enlarged verticalsectional view taken through the car just behind the door opening on the line V--V of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken on theline Vl'-VI of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a View upon an enlarged scale taken upon the line VIEVII of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the door in its lowered position.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view similar to Figure '7 showing the door in elevated position. mentary sectional view taken on the line 1XIX of 'Figure 1 looking in the e arrows.

Figure 1o is a detail sectional view taken upon an enlarged scale upon the line XX of Figure 1 looking in the clirectio 'ndicated by the ar rows showing the bearing mechanism for the roller housing and the manner in'which the operating lever connects the two.

g an

cor has been moved outwardly and along the side of the car to its open 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 except Figure 11 is an enlarged detail end view of the eccentric roller housing bearing.

Figure 12 is an enlarged side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 11.

In referring to the drawings itwill be-noted that the invention hasbeen illustrated in connection with a corrugated metal door 1 which is provided with a T member 2 at its upper end which travels in a'guide 3. The guide 3 has, depending flanges i'which are turned inwardly to provide a restricted throat through which the T head cannot pass with the result that an effective weatherproofing structure is obtained thereby. For the T head and the guide 3 may be so designed that the T head comes into abutting relation with the flanges 4 when the door is resting upon its track especially in its closed posi tion whereby. the weather is effectively excluded.

Upon the lower end of the door, there is a center casting 5 which is provided with a pair'of spaced depending bearings 5a and a pair of end bearings 6 and '7 which are in the form ofcastings secured to the door and having outwardly directed flanges. .The bearing portions 5a of the center casting and the outwardly directedflanges of the castings 6 and 7 have aligned bearing apertures for a purpose that will later appear. The lower margin of the door is inwardly *offsetas indicated at is in Figures 6 to 8. This inwardly offset portion provides a shoulder which is adapted for frictionally engaging the inwardly and downwardly sloping margin 8 of a track 9 which is secured to the car beneath the door. A pair of spaced ball retainers 10 are carried by the lower portion of the door and they are eccentrically pivoted so that the same may be swung relatively to the door. Each ball retainer is in the form of a tubular member substantially oblong in cross section with the edges thereof however spaced apart to allow the balls therein to extend beyond the spaced edges thereof. A ball 11' is confined in each retainer and is adapted for relative movement with respect thereto in a longitudinal direction. The length of the retainer and diameter of the ball is such that the ball will travel from one end of, the retainer to the other during the opening or closing movements of the door as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

In the outer end of each retainer 10, there is secured a metal plug 12 by means of a rivet or the like. Each plug is provided with an eccentric bearing pintle'which'is journalled in the aperture of the end castings 6 or '7 ,upon the door. The inner end of each ball retainer is also closed by a plug which is best shown in Figure 10. In

referring to this figure, it will be noted that each plug consists of a portion 14 that is secured in the inner end of a retainer 1%) and an adjacent portion which is journalled in. the bearings a of the center casting. The bearing portions of the center plugs that fit in the arms 5a are indicated by the reference numeral and in referring to Figure 12 it will be noted that they are eccentric with respect to the portions 1 that fit within the ball retainers. The eccentric portions 15 are provided with flat sided terminals 16 which extend toward each other into substantially contacting relation as shown in Figure 10 and an operating lever 17 is secured to these fiat terminals 16. The lever 17 is preferably provided with a hub having an oblong aperture for receiving the flat sided terminals 16 so that both of the re-v tainers may be simultaneously rocked upon their eccentric bearings. With reference to Figures 5 and 6 it will be noted that the end castings are provided with depending portions which overlap the track 9 and form guides for the car door.

In its normal position, the door 1 is frictionally supported upon the track 9 as shown in Figure '1 and in referring to this figure, it will be noted that the offset shoulder let on the door is in frictional engagement with the sloping portions of the track 8 and the inner edge of each ball retainer is in frictional engagement with the track 9, with the result that the door is frictionally held against movement. When it is desired to move the door longitudinally for opening or closing the same, the lever 17 is swung outwardly as shown in Figure 8. This movement of the lever 17 Will swing or rock the two ball retainers 10 upon their eccentric bearings; and shift the door inwardly to disengage the shoulder la from the track 9 and to bring the two balls 11 into engagement with the track. This operation requires very little effort and to longitudinally move the door it is only necessary to pull or push upon the lever .17 while it is in its pulled out position as shown in Figure 8. As soon as the lever 1'? is released, the door will automatically descend into i the position shown in Figure 7. In Figure 2 the door is shown in its closed position while in Figure 3 the door is shown in its opened position and it will be seen that during the movement of the door from its closed position to its opened position the rollers 11 will have traveled from one end of their retainers to the other end thereof. However the balls are so arranged that the'door will always be balanced.

Due to the fact that the door is supported upon rollers which are easily susceptible of traveling transversely of the track 9 as well as longitudinally thereof, it becomes very easy to move the door inwardly and outwardly with respect to the car. It will be noted that the guide member 3 in its cooperative relation with the T member 2 readily allows the lower portion of the door to swing outwardly and inwardly. This particular feature renders it possible to provide metal binding for effectively sealing the lateral margins of the door and to this end the lateral margins of the door are provided with vertical angle members 18, one at each lateral margin of the door. Each vertical angle member 18 has a short outstanding flange 18a and a longer outstanding flange 18b. The short flange 18a of the vertical angle 18 at the front edge of the door is adapted to pass under flange 20 of a weather strip 1.9.as shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that the flange 20 extends in a direction toward the center of the door and approximately to the longer flange 18b with which it cooperates to form an effective weather proofing feature or seal for excluding weather at the front edge of the door. An angular weather strip 21 is hinged to the side of the rear door post as shown in Fig.- ures 5 and 9 by means of suitable hinges 22. weather strip 21 may be swung into a position parallel with the car as shown in Figure 3 when it is desired to open the door. When the door is closed, the weather strip 21 is adapted to be swung so that its forward flange will engage over the rear vertical angle 18 as shown in Figure 9. The short flange 18a will allow the weather strip 21 to be thuswise swung and the forward flange thereof cooperates with the long flange 18b of the vertical annular member on the door for effectively sealing the rear edge of the door and excluding the weather.

Mechanism has been provided for locking the swingable'weather strip 21 in its operative position. While any suitable locking mechanism may be used, as a matter of illustration there is shown a hasp 23 that fits over a staple 24 upon the door with a member. 25 passing through the staple. The member 25 is preferably secured against accidental displacement. It will readily be observed that the door can be moved inwardly on its rollers which readily travel in a transverse direction so that the weather strip 21 may be swung over the rear edge of the door for the purpose of sealing the same against the weather.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the door is effectively sealed around its whole perimeter when the same is in its closed position. For it will be noted that when the door is in its closed position, the T head 2 will close the gap between the flanges i of the guide 3 and the offset portion la at the lower margin of the door will engage the sloping portion 8 of the track whereby the top and bottom of the door are effectively sealed. The front end of the door in its closed position is sealed by the weather strip 19 and the rear margin thereof is sealed by the swinging weather strip 21. As previously stated, this weatherproofing structure is made possible through the vertical and lateral movements of the door which are brought about by the operation of the lever 17.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, means for supporting said door upon said track, a lever connected to said means and operable for raising said door, said door automatically descending upon said track when said lever is released, means cooperating with the top and bottom of said door in its lowered position for effectively sealing the same against the weather and means whereby the lateral edges of said door are sealed in its closed and lowered positions.

2. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, ball retainers eccentrically pivoted to said door, a lever connected to said retainers, a ball carried by each retainer for relative longitudinal movement with respect thereto, said retainers being normally in frictional engagement with said track and cooperating means between said car and the upper and lower margins of said door for sealing the same when said retain- This ers are in frictional engagement with said track.

3. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, means for optionally supporting said door for frictional or anti-frictional engagement with said track, a lever connected to said means for causing relative movement of the door with respect to said means, said door automatically descending when said lever is released, and cooperating means adapted to be brought into coacting relation for sealing the top and bottom of said door when the same descends.

4. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, rolling means eccentrically pivoted to said door, a lever for operating said rolling means and causing vertical and lateral movement of said door and cooperating weatherproofing members between said car and door adapted to be brought into cooperative relation during a predetermined movement of the door.

5. The combination with a door, having an ofiset margin, of a track having a sloping portion adapted for engagement by said ofiset portion, said door having a T head extending along its opposite margin, and a guide on said door for receiving said T head, said T head coming into sealing relation with said guide and said offset portion engaging said track when said door is in its closed position.

6. The combination with a car having a door opening and a weather angle at one end of said opening, a door for closing said opening, said door having an offset margin, a track for supporting said door and having a sloping margin adapted to be engaged by the ofiset margin of said door, rolling means upon said'door, a lever connected to said rolling means for causing relative vertical and lateral movements of said door with respect thereto, said door engaging under said weather proofing angle and engaging said I track when in its closed position and cooperating sealing means between the car and the other margins of said door adapted for coming into sealing relation when said door is in frictional engagement with said track. 7

7. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, ball retainers eccentrically pivoted to said door, a ball carried by each retainer, a lever for simultaneously swinging said retainers, and causing relative vertical and lateral movements between said door and said retainers, and weathtransverse movements with respect to the car and sealing means for the opposite margin of said door adapted for coming into coacting relation through movements of said door.

9. In a house car having a door way, a track beneath said door way, a guide member having flanges forming a restricted throat above said door way, a door, a T head upon said door located in said guide member, a strip upon the lower margin of the door, and means for mounting said door upon said track for elevating and lowering movements, the said T headengaging, said flanges and said strip engaging said track when said door is in its lowered position.

10. In a house car having a door way, a track beneath said door way, a guide above said door way, said guide having spaced flanges, a door, a guide member upon the upper margin of said door positioned in said guide, a strip upon the lower margin of said door, adjacent said track, means for mounting said door upon said track for elevating and lowering movements, said guide member and strip respectively engaging said guide and track when said door is lowered for excluding the weather, and means for sealing the lateral margins of the door in its lowered position.

11. The combination with a door, of a track therefor, means for supporting said door upon said track for elevating and lowering movements, a guide member upon said car comprising a web and depending flanges forming a passage having a restricted throat, said door having a longitudinally extending T-head disposed in said passage for engaging said guide member and efiec- .tively sealing the door along one margin when the same is in its lowered position.

' KENNETH J. TOBIN. 

